Snapshots
by fyd818
Summary: To most people, they were faded photographs in a wrinkled old album. To Alice and Jasper, they were captured images of stories and memories that would never fade or grow old. A series of connected JxA oneshots, pre-, during-, post-"Twilight" saga.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own the _Twilight _saga, nor any places, characters, things, or ideas therein. Those belong to Stephenie Meyer, Little, Brown, and Company publishers, Summit Entertainment, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. I am writing this story for entertainment purposes only, not monetary gain.

Summary: To most people, they were faded photographs in a wrinkled old album. To Alice and Jasper, they were captured images of stories and memories that would never fade or grow old. A series of connected JxA oneshots, pre-, during-, post-"Twilight."

Rating: K+

Warnings: None

Pairings: Alice/Jasper; mentions Bella/Edward, Carlisle/Esme, Rosalie/Emmett, Kate/Garrett, and Eleazar/Carmen

Spoilers: All four books are fair game

Part 1/?

Title: _Snapshots_

Author: fyd818

**Author's Note:** The general idea of this story, a series of events surrounding the images captured in photographs, came from my beta Mama Jo's story _Christmas Snapshots,_ posted in the _Stargate: Atlantis_ fandom. I already have several ideas for this story, but I'm open to any suggestions you might have, anything you might want to see, for future chapters. I like to think I'm fairly easy to get along with. LOL I would like to keep this story in the K+ range, though, please. But I will try to work in every idea I'm given, with full credit to whomever suggested it. In the meantime, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this story! ~fyd

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Snapshots

_fyd818_

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-Chapter 1-

_~The Beginning~_

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Me and Jasper, April 3, 1953, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I opened the photo album gently, careful of the cracked cover and yellowed, worn old pages. It was old, worn down, having aged over the many years I'd had it. It had an ability I did not -- the ability to age, grow old, hold the signs of maturing. When I was feeling particularly nostalgic I envied it that ability -- which was silly, of course, being jealous of an inanimate object. But unlike its pages, I would never show my age, grow fragile, or eventually lose the ability to protect the priceless, precious memories held within me.

Smiling, I touched the picture on the very first page inside, re-reading the familiar words written in my own hand. Jasper and I had returned to where we'd met right after I'd gotten my first camera, determined to have some sort of record of the place even after it closed and was forgotten years later. Besides, I knew we would be getting a family at some point, and I wanted to be able to proudly show off the image of my husband and me in one of the most important places we'd ever visited.

I still remembered the day it had been taken like it was yesterday -- after all, years felt like seconds to a vampire, for we never forgot anything, no matter how long it had been.

_I carefully cradled my camera in my arms like a baby, knowing it was just as fragile as a newborn. Jasper had kindly donated his coat to the cause, covering its delicate casing to protect it from the chilly rain falling from above. We were sticking to the sidewalks as much as we could, quickly walking out of the cover of one shop door's overhang to the next. And so it went down the line until we finally reached the door to the little café in which we'd met not so long before. Fortunately most of the humans were indoors, the cold rain having driven them inside for the heat and dryness._

_The rain meant nothing to me, save the protection of my diamond-hard (and equally sparkly) skin from the sunlight hidden behind the clouds. Jasper was walking somewhat stiffly next to me, black eyes warily on the lookout for a stray human whose sent could so easily drive him to madness. My Visions had assured me we'd both be fine, but Jasper didn't know me that well, yet, even though he had been naturally accepting when I told him I could see the future before it happened. It would just take him a little while for him to implicitly trust my Visions -- I could See that, too._

_When we reached the café, we both stood outside its glass door for a long moment, allowing our memories to sweep us back in time. I could see so clearly in my mind the look on his face when I'd held out my hand to him, said his name, and offered him a new life, away from the horrible one I'd caught glimpses of since my Awakening in a cold, dark forest. He had been slow to smile, and I hadn't seen him smile a lot since that day, but I knew my first memory of that curling of his lips would always be my best._

_Jasper briefly squeezed my shoulder. "Do you want to go in?" he asked me. His voice was one of the first things I remembered after I Awakened as a vampire -- rich, deep, a bass rumbling that sounded like soothing music to my ears every time he spoke. The slightest hint of a Southern accent added an exotic element to every word he said._

"_No," I said decidedly. Trouble could arise in the future, I'd Seen, if we ventured inside. "We'll stay outside, just get a picture of the exterior of the building, and us in front of it."_

_My true love looked around, his eyebrows raised curiously. "How?" he asked. "There's no one around to hold the camera and take the picture." He sounded almost relieved at that fact._

"_Wait for it," I murmured. "Wait for it. . ."_

_Jasper had the courage to look surprised when a human appeared around the corner of the block, hands tucked in his pockets, head ducked. All we could see was the wide brim of his hat, but I knew he was friendly, and merely used the hat to shield his face from the rain._

"_Excuse me, sir," I called softly when he approached. I waited until he joined us under the cover of the eave to speak again. "I was wondering if you could possibly take a picture of us, in front of this little café?" I slightly lifted my camera as Jasper snatched his jacket away._

"_Of course!" he said. "Anything to help such a lovely long couple as yourselves." He took my camera from me, and I was pleased to see that he, too, handled the camera like it was a delicate infant. "Beautiful model," he said. "It's one of the newest ones, right?"_

_I leaned into Jasper's side, feeling that he wasn't breathing as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Firmly tucking my arm around his waist, under the cover of the jacket he'd quickly but back on, I rested my head against his chest and smiled at the helpful man who'd stopped in the rain to help a friendly young woman and her boyfriend in what most would think a silly activity in such weather. "Yes," I said. "Jasper and I have been saving up for a while to purchase that." I allowed my face to relax into an open, friendly expression as the man snapped the picture._

_Quickly returning to the cover of the eave, he tucked the camera back into my arms. "A wise purchase," he said with a smile. "I hope that picture turns out all right. And good luck, both of you." With a tip of his hat and another friendly smile, he wandered off again._

_Smiling smugly up at Jasper, I accepted the cover of his coat again to protect our camera as we continued our stroll through the rain. "See?" I said. "That went very well, all things considered."_

_Jasper drew in a long breath, his shoulders finally relaxing. "So it did," he agreed. "I apologize for ever doubting you." Only a hint of mischief colored his tone._

_I stuck out my tongue at him and hugged my camera close. Only later, after I'd had the picture developed, did I find out that Jasper, despite the discomfort of being so close to a warm-blooded, lovely-smelling human, was smiling like he was the happiest man in the world._

Allowing the memory to fade out of my mind, I closed the cover of the photo album, a Vision telling me that Esme would soon come in search of me, wanting to hunt. I could always go back to the treasure trove of visual memories later, when we got back.

But as I went downstairs, my lips curled into a smile as I Saw that Jasper had other ideas for when I returned. Fortunately, I had the rest of forever in which to revisit my fondest memories. The opportunity to make new ones didn't visit very often at all.

_~End Chapter 1~_


	2. The Hunt

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Part 2/?

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-Chapter 2-

_~The Hunt~_

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Jasper after his most successful hunt to date, October 19, 1953

"Not all of the pictures in this album are of me and Jasper together," I explained to Bella as we sat on the couch in the living room together. The boys had gone off on a hunt, and Esme and Rosalie had gone to town to restock our supply of human food for Jacob (who was ever-present) and Seth (who visited so often he could almost have been considered living with us, too). Renesmee had gone off with "her Jake" to heaven only knew where. I had decided this would be a good time to answer some of Bella's questions about my and Jasper's past.

"That makes sense," my friend replied. "The older cameras didn't have timers like some of the newer ones."

"Exactly," I said. Pointing at the picture before us, I proudly let her read what I'd written beneath it.

"I don't get it," Bella said. "Hadn't you introduced him to the life of a vegetarian long before this?"

I felt my shoulders sag a little in disappointment, though I couldn't blame her for not understanding my somewhat cryptic words. "Of course I did," I said. "But look closer. What do you see?"

Bella leaned over, looking closer as I'd instructed. Her vampire eyes, so much stronger and able to see so much more than the human eyes she'd had not that long ago, carefully examined every little part of the picture. "I'm sorry," she said. "I still don't get it."

Leaning forward, I pointed to Jasper's face. "Look at his eyes!" I said.

My best friend's eyebrows quirked up. "They're gold. So?"

I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling in frustration. "_Exactly_!" I cried. "That's the whole point. The hunt we'd just come back from was the first one he'd come away with having completely gold eyes. I would think _you_ of all people would have noticed that," I said, only half-joking. Bella's eyes had only recently attained a golden hue themselves, since her first year of being a newborn had faded away. She was quite proud of her tawny eyes, and I caught her gazing at them in a mirror rather often.

"Oh," Bella said softly. Her expression lit up. "You took a picture of it! I wish Edward had thought of that," she fretted, touching the skin beneath her left eye.

Tipping my head to the side, I gazed intently at the picture, remembering with a smile that that hadn't been the first thought on my mind that day.

"_I can't believe it!" I said indignantly._

"_What?" Jasper gazed at me morosely from across the clearing, looking every inch the innocent angel._

"_I just got you that shirt two days ago!" I snarled. "It was my favorite shirt of yours."_

_He looked down at it, his eyebrows raised. "It's not my fault!" he immediately defended himself when he saw the tears in the fabric. "The bear wanted a fight! What was I supposed to do, let it win and get away?"_

_Groaning, I put my hands over my face and shook my head. "What am I going to do with you, Jasper?" I demanded._

"_Love me anyway?" he offered._

_I couldn't smother my grin when I looked up at him again. "I suppose I'll just have to," I said flippantly. Taking his hand, I pulled him toward the car, which we'd parked some distance away. I hadn't wanted to drive it into the foliage for fear of its baby-blue paint being scratched. My Corvette was just as much my baby as my camera, only it had come into my possession first._

_Jasper pulled his hand from my grasp, but only so he could wrap his arm around my shoulders. He seemed to like doing that, especially since he had quite a few inches on me as far as height went. "Oh, Alice," he said, amusement in his tone. "My little shopper. I'm sure there are a thousand other shirts just like this one in the closest stores. We can always replace it, you know."_

_Crossing my arms, I pretended to pout. "But it won't be the same," I said. "It won't be _this_ shirt." Already his teasing was helping me get over my moment of bemusement._

"_So how many did you catch?" he asked, casually changing the subject._

_I lifted my hand to count on my fingers. "I caught two deer and a fox," I said, rather proud of myself._

_Jasper made a face. "I got the bear and a deer," he said, "though I must admit I enjoyed the bear far more." He didn't mention why, though I could guess why -- the bear was a carnivore, and the taste of its blood was far closer to a human's than a herbivore's, like a deer. And, having existed on human blood for so long, animal blood still tasted rather unpalatable to him._

_Jasper and I walked in companionable silence for a while, content to go at a human pace through the shadowy woods. At last he said, "How do you do it?"_

"_Do what?" I asked, somewhat distracted by my own thoughts._

"_Drink animal's blood without being -- to put it frankly -- disgusted by the taste?"_

_I stopped to consider this for a moment. Jasper paused, too, watching me intently as he waited for my answer. "I've never really thought about it before," I said. "When I realized what I was, I just -- I don't know, the idea of drinking the blood of animals was already _there_, in my head, and I naturally followed my instinct in that direction."_

_This time it was his turn to consider what I said. "Have you ever -- well. . ." He trailed off, looking at me in a way that completed his sentence._

_As little as I liked to think of those times -- the hot, rich, fragrant, wonderful-tasting blood -- I allowed each time to briefly touch my memories. There were eight in all. "Yes," I said. "I've had my slip-ups and tasted human blood. But the Visions I have of our future family -- the Cullens -- just keeps me coming back to animals." I had never questioned the Visions, since it offered an acceptable alternative to killing humans, the prospect of which I'd hated right from the beginning._

"_So you've always had your Visions to help you stay on this path," Jasper said quietly._

_I nodded. "It hasn't always helped. Remember, I have slipped up a few times. Precisely eight, actually." I took yet another moment to mourn those lives, lost so young, far before their times should have been._

_We'd both walked the line between being human and being monster, and truthfully, Jasper had come much farther than I. He'd partaken of human blood for far longer than I, and had had to accustom himself to animal blood after that gratification._

_It was a rather random, albeit bittersweet, moment when I looked up and finally met his eyes. It took yet another moment for me to notice that they were no longer black, nor the orangey color of red eyes slowly shifting to gold. His eyes were pure gold, the color of a shiny ring in the sunlight, for the very first time._

_Gasping out a startled but excited exclamation, I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the car, shouting exuberantly as we ran vampire-speed through the woods._

"_What? What?" Jasper demanded, puzzled. He hadn't passed a reflective surface, thus he hadn't seen the glorious color of his eyes._

_It was the second happiest moment of my life when I held up the camera and proudly took a picture of him and his golden eyes. But that was only after I'd made him look in the rear-view mirror of my Corvette so he would see the fruit of the labor he'd gone through for the past few months._

"We met in February, and his eyes turned gold in October," I told Bella. It had taken less than a second for my memory to come back to me in full, eye-popping detail. "There were a couple of slip-ups in there, of course," I murmured. "But Jasper tried so hard to stay true to his new vegetarian ways, and that day -- I'm not sure who was prouder of him, me or himself. After all those long months of trying so hard to be good, he finally achieved his golden eyes."

Bella had a soft, gentle smile on her face. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, still gazing at the picture. "I can understand the feeling," she said. "Seeing my eyes gold was one of the greatest moments in my entire life, and I'm sure it will continue to rank as such for the rest of my existence."

There were so many other wonderful moments in Jasper's and my lifetime, most of which were contained in the pages of our thick photo album. But I also knew that that moment, seeing Jasper's eyes golden for the first time, would rank toward the top of the best moments of our existence, too.

_~End Chapter 2~_

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**Thank you so much to all my reviewers: _LisaCA, drasticbarbie, bookworm19065, justawritier, _and _twilight crazed_ for all the lovely reviews!**


	3. Shopping with Alice

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Part 3/?

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-Chapter 3-

_~Shopping With Alice~_

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Me and Jasper at Macy's in New York, December 21, 1953

Smiling, I dropped down cross-legged in front of the Christmas tree, my and Jasper's photo album cradled in my arms like a baby. Staring up at the shining, glittering, loaded-down tree, I took a moment to regret missing last Christmas because of Jasper's and my attempt to find other vampires to help fight the Volturi. But just as quickly I shook off the thought – that endeavor had ended well, and it was best if such sad thoughts weren't brought up again during such a joyous season.

"What are you doing, Aunt Alice?"

I looked up, smiling at Renesmee's voice. She was speaking more than she used to, practicing for when she went out in public, and none of us complained. She had a beautiful voice. "Thinking, Ness."

"About what?" She dropped down next to me, dark eyes sparkling with youthful joy, red curls bouncing around her face and shoulders.

Reaching over, I carefully placed the photo album on her lap. "Here," I said, pointing at the picture I'd been thinking about all day. "The time when that picture was taken."

Nessie quietly read what I'd written beneath it, then grinned. "That's the biggest tree I've ever seen!" she exclaimed. "It doesn't even fit in the picture!"

I laughed, wrapping my arm around her slender shoulders. "No, it doesn't," I agreed. "It was the biggest Christmas tree Jasper and I had seen in our lives, too." I touched the picture with gentle fingers.

My niece smiled, her head cocked slightly to the side. "Will you tell me the story behind it?" she asked softly.

Looking from the picture to the mound of presents that were already under the tree, I smiled. "Sure," I said. "Why not?"

_Christmas was like nothing I could remember ever feeling in my life, as a human or as a vampire. The colors, the buzzing emotion in the air, the absolute _beauty_ of everything._

_Stretched from one railing of the floor above us to the other stretched a large sign that proclaimed in large, red-and-green letters:_

**ONLY FOUR DAYS LEFT UNTIL CHRISTMAS!**

_Grasping Jasper's hand tightly, I turned in slow circle to take in absolutely everything around me. This would be my first Christmas with him – a holiday he had very kindly explained to me from his human memories – and I wanted to enjoy and remember every last _second_ of it._

_Red and green was in abundance, occasionally shot through with silver or gold, and I had happily color-coordinated Jasper's and my outfits to match: me in red, him in green. He had promised to come with me, despite the closely packed human bodies, and I had promised to keep an eye on the future, though I saw absolutely nothing wrong. He would be fine, and so would I. Jasper, on the other hand, was having a bit more trouble believing my Visions. It would take him time, and I understood that._

_Macy's was a huge store, a towering building that, at least from the inside, seemed to take up an entire city block or more. All around me there was clothes, jewelry, pots and pans, silverware, perfume, candles, everything I could think of and more. It was absolutely amazing!_

_Jasper was smiling, though I could see the boredom already growing in his eyes. I gave him a quick hug, reassuring him with my touch and with my emotions. His hand caught mine and squeezed, and I knew he was allowing himself to relax a bit more. We had gone hunting all night just to make sure we were ready for this._

_I pulled him from rack to rack, display to display, up the stairs, down the stairs, all over the store. We couldn't get tired, because we were vampires, but I knew even if I were human I wouldn't get tired in a store like this. There were just _so many things_, it was fascinating! It was wonderful! It was amazing!_

_I could stay there all day._

_Eventually Jasper leaned over. "We should at least _look_ like we're getting a bit tired," he whispered. "They're starting to stare at us."_

"_You're right," I sighed. "Let's go sit on that bench in front of the Christmas tree."_

_We went back down to the ground floor, where we found the bench facing the door to the outdoors unoccupied. It had been cloudy when we'd come in, they sky full of heavy grey clouds that promised snow. Now the fluffy while flakes were falling in abundance, added yet another feel of Christmas. I leaned forward a bit, my hands clasped between my knees, staring happily out the revolving glass doors at the fluffy, falling white flakes._

"_We never had snow in Texas," Jasper announced suddenly._

_I turned to look at him, my eyes wide. "Really?" I asked him. I couldn't imagine no snow. Everywhere I'd been – at least as a vampire – had had snow at least once a year._

_He shrugged. "We're too close to the coast, I think. It was always too warm. Even on the coolest nights, the most we ever got was rain."_

"_Wow." I leaned against the back of the bench, meeting his arm coming around my shoulders at the same time, and blinked in surprise. "Wow," I repeated. "No snow."_

"_None," Jasper said. "Looks – pretty, I guess. Rather wet."_

"_And cold," I agreed. "For the humans, at least. I guess. They're so – warm. Plus, they're all bundled up like it must be cold for them." Since we were naturally cold, we didn't feel such things._

_Chuckling, Jasper reached into the case I always carried over my shoulder. "Here," he said, handing the camera to me. "We can take a picture of it. Keep it for posterity, just in case we want to head down south again and miss snow on Christmas next year."_

"_Okay!" I picked up the camera, then hurried to the door and pushed through it until I was standing on the sidewalk. I looked around quickly, trying to figure out the best place to stand so I could get the optimum view for my shot. Then I decided standing there under the awning was perfect, and quickly snapped the picture. Hugging the camera to my chest again, I hurried back in and dropped down next to Jasper. "Got it!" I declared, as if I had just saved a silk scarf from being run over by a vehicle on the street._

_Jasper chuckled and kissed the side of my head. "I can't wait to see it," he said._

"_I managed to keep the camera dry, this time," I said. The last time I had tried to take a picture in inclement weather, I had ventured out too far into the pouring rain and wound up getting the whole thing soaked. It had taken me two days to dry it out, and I was lucky it still worked right._

_Jasper tipped his head back and stared up at the big white angel holding a gold star atop the Christmas tree. "We should get a picture of this tree," he murmured. "It's something else."_

"_We should!" I agreed enthusiastically. Now that I actually had a camera, I had turned into an amateur photographer. I couldn't stop snapping shots of this and that and everything else under the sun._

_Hopping up, I caught the attention of a nice-looking couple passing by. "Excuse me," I said, "but you could please get a shot of me and my friend in front of the tree?" I stumbled a bit over the word _friend_, because though I saw a deep, wonderful, loving relationship in our future, Jasper and I hadn't actually discussed the particulars yet. Besides, neither he nor I had actually had friends, not close ones, anyway – I that I could remember, and he while he had been a member of the vampire species. All his human friends were long-dead, and in Maria's army it was hard to make close friends. Peter and Charlotte sort of counted for him, but since he hadn't seen them in a while, he'd started referring to them as "acquaintances."_

"_Of course, dear." The lady took the camera from me and handed it to her husband, who took a moment to familiarize himself with the machine while I went to sit next to Jasper again. He smiled at me, then put his arm around my shoulder as we turned to face the camera and smiled._

_Later, when the picture was developed, I noticed the little package sticking out of Jasper's pocket, but I didn't say anything. Somehow he had managed to sneak away and buy me a present without me realizing. I let him keep his secret, staying out of our futures._

_Besides, from what I'd seen and read, no one wanted to know what they'd gotten for Christmas until they pulled the shiny wrapper and perky bows off. That was fine for me – at least for Jasper's presents._

Nessie laughed and clapped her hands, leaning a little closer to the picture. "Yes!" she said. "I can see the present, now that I look closer. I hadn't noticed it before."

I shrugged. "He did a pretty good job hiding it from me," I replied. "I just happened to be looking very closely at it." Lifting my wrist, I stared at the dainty silver chain circling it, fingering the little silver snowflake that had been the first charm on it when he'd given it to me. It was now heavy with many charms, almost each link holding one, from the many Christmases he and I had celebrated together since. Sometimes I had to take charms off and rotate them with others because he'd given me so many.

"That was a nice story."

Renesmee and I both jumped a little and turned. We had both been so involved in the story I had been telling her, we hadn't noticed when Jacob Black had come in. He offered me a sheepish grin, then said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak in on you. You and Ness were just so involved in the story, I decided to stick around and see what was so interesting." He turned his gaze to Nessie, his dark eyes softening perceptibly.

I shook my head. "It's fine," I said. "I don't mind sharing some of Jasper's and my stories with others." Closing the album, I ran my fingers over the worn leather cover, knowing there were many more stories inside that were begging to be told.

Perhaps I would share them, on other Christmases, to the family that I felt could be my own by blood.

_~End Chapter 3~_

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**Thank you so much to all my reviewers: _bookworm19065, LisaCA, justawritier, Amber, drasticbarbie, dsolo, _and _Free2ExpressMe_ for all the lovely reviews!**


	4. A Kiss at Midnight

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Part 4/?

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**-Chapter 4-**

_~A Kiss at Midnight~_

_Me and Jasper in Time Square, New York, December 31, 1953_

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It was nearing midnight on New Year's, and my family was gathered around me in preparation to celebrate. Jacob and Nessie were by the fireplace; Edward and Bella by his piano; Carlisle sitting in a chair with Esme on his lap; Rosalie and Emmett sitting on the floor in front of the TV like two children who can hardly wait for their favorite show to come on.

The Denali coven had come to celebrate the New Year with us as well. Carmen and Eleazar were sitting on the couch alongside Kate and Garrett, more interested in talking than watching the television. Tanya, the last Denali sister without a mate, sat on the stairs, humming quietly to herself as she quietly curled yards and yards of ribbons into fancy shapes before dropping them in a trash can. I knew what she was going to do with them – at midnight, she was going to throw them over the whole group to celebrate the new year.

I was content to sit in the corner with Jasper, our photo album open across our laps to the shots taken on our first New Year's Eve together.

_Time Square was alight with more colors than I imagined could co-exist together. Jasper and I were perched atop the building closest to the New Year's Ball, far enough away from all the humans for their scents to be unnoticeable, and for us to not be seen by their weak eyes. We had the perfect vantage point for the Ball Drop, and we weren't going to give up our seats for anything._

_Jasper lifted his arm from around my shoulders to glance at his watch. "Three more minutes. Excited yet?"_

_I snuggled up against him again, using him as a shelter from the wind, which was messing up my hair. I had specially styled it for the occasion. "This is my first New Year's Eve in Time Square – and, even more importantly, my first New Year's Eve with you. Yes, I am excited!"_

_Chuckling, Jasper tucked the ends of the colorful scarf I'd decided to wear a little tighter under the collar of my coat. "That's good."_

"_Are you excited?" I demanded, turning the tables on him._

_Jasper grinned. "Of course I am."_

"_Good." This was a rather monumental moment for us, I supposed. It was the end of my first year with Jasper, yet another way to cement our bond to each other. We'd already been through a lot together, and I knew that list would continue to grow in the eternity we'd have with each other._

_At that moment, the elusive glimpses I'd been getting of our future family, of our brothers and sisters, seemed – well, not inconsequential, but distant. Like they belonged to another lifetime, and the lifetime I was living now with Jasper was the way things were supposed to be. Just him and me, seeing America, celebrating the highs and lows of our life together and the humans' more exciting holidays. I was sure our life together couldn't get better._

_Below us, people started shouting numbers. I jolted back to the present, grinning when I realized they were counting down the last minute of 1953. We were on the cusp of 1954, a new year, full of a new set of exciting things waiting to come. There were thousands of humans below us, all their gazes locked on the colorful ball that would soon drop, but at that moment only Jasper and I mattered._

_I scrambled for my camera as the final ten seconds ticked by. The ball was picking up speed, dropping toward the earth in time with the shouting humans. I grasped Jasper's arm and spun us both around, putting my head next to his as I held out my arms, positioned my camera just right, and snapped a picture of us just as the ball and the numbers hit zero at the same time._

_A deafening roar reached our ears as the humans celebrated the new year. I cheered as well, though much quieter, as I grinned up at Jasper, who still looked startled. I had Seen myself doing that earlier in the day, and had been looking forward to just the right moment to snap the picture that would go into our rapidly growing album._

_The startled expression finally faded off Jasper's face. Laughing, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my surprised lips, the first we'd ever shared. I had just enough presence of mind to hold my camera out again and snap a side-shot of us kissing before I set my camera down on the blanket we'd been sitting on and lost myself to his kiss._

"Five… Four… Three… Two… One… _Happy New Year_!" The voices of our family blended into one joyous song around us as Jasper and I reminisced our first New Year's together. And, as he had done on that night so long ago, Jasper took me in his arms and kissed me, unnoticed by the rest of our celebrating family.

Now, as it was then, Jasper's and my life together was the most important thing to us, forever.

_~End Chapter 4~_

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**Thanks to all my reviewers for this chapter: **_**Amber Bamber, LisaCA, bookworm19065, drasticbarbie, Wilka, filipavilela, Roses in May, **_**and **_**justawritier!**_


	5. Dance With Me

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Part 5/?

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's taken me so long to get this update out, but life's been crazy, and then I wanted to wait until tonight to celebrate the opening of "New Moon" in theaters. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, and that those of you who went to the midnight showings had a great time!

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**-Chapter 5-**

_~Dance With Me~_

_Me and Jasper in Madison Square Gardens, January 10, 1954_

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Jasper kissed the side of my head and stood. "I'll be right back. I need to talk to Carlisle for a minute." A quick squeeze of my shoulder and then he was gone.

Sighing, I traced my finger along the edge of the album, allowing various memories to revisit my mind. I'd had some great times since we joined the Cullens, but some of the greatest had been with Jasper_ before_ we found them. I would always treasure all my memories, past, present, and future, but some were more special than others.

The hum of my family still chatting about the new year faded into the distance as I flipped the page. I smiled tenderly at the image that met my gaze, remembering the night as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. This was a memory I shared with no one but Jasper, the two of us in our own world only a few days after New Years and our first kiss…

_It was a wonder to see the arena at Madison Square Gardens decorated for a ball. Jasper and I had been lucky to get tickets, since it had turned into a right-place-at-the-right-time sort of thing._

_Closing my eyes, I took a moment to scan the future again. I saw nothing but a wonderful, romantic evening ahead for us. Allowing myself to relax, I opened my eyes and allowed Jasper to escort me deeper into the huge room._

_A platform had been erected in one corner to play host to a band. The walls of the arena echoed the music around us, creating a beautiful blanket of sound. Everything felt so new and beautiful and unique to me, and I loved it. I glanced up at Jasper, and his expression mirrored mine._

_This night would truly be magical, and in ways my visions wouldn't tell._

_We stayed along the sidelines for a while, watching the dancers as they waltzed their way across the arena. I had never danced before that I could remember, but I could See myself dancing with Jasper, so I figured he must know something about the process. That was enough to put my mind at ease._

_I longed to find the right time to take a picture, but none really presented themselves. We strolled and watched, waiting for a good song before we joined the dancing. I was just enjoying spending time with Jasper, something of which I couldn't seem to get enough. He was so fascinating, always leaving me wanting to know more about him everything time he told me a little something about his past._

_There were various photographers scattered across the room, documenting the event. One glanced up casually at us, smiled, and winked._

_I stopped, pulling Jasper up next to me. "You," I said._

_Backing away from his camera, the photographer sketched a bow. Without the sunglasses he'd been wearing earlier, I saw that his eyes were black as night, with just a hint of ruby at the very edge. "Miss Alice," he said. "I am so glad you decided to use the tickets."_

_Jasper shifted slightly, his arm going around my waist as he guided me to his other side, making sure he was between me and the vampire who had given us the tickets. I couldn't believe we had missed his true identity the first time, even with the sunglasses, hat, and the layers of clothing. "What do you want?" my love asked, his accent twanging deeper with his suspicion._

"_Nothing," he replied. "I am simply enjoying a beautiful night with beautiful people, and I wanted to share with some -- ah -- kindred spirits, if you understand me."_

_Eyes still narrowed in concentration and suspicion, Jasper let a little growl vibrate through his chest. I could tell that he didn't trust the vampire's explanation, and neither did I for that matter, but there was no way we could cause a scene in the middle of a room crowded with humans. Tightly wrapping his arm around my shoulders, Jasper turned us both and guided us onto the dance floor, one hand grasping mine, the other wound a little too tightly around my waist. I watched him watch the vampire photographer, as I searched the future. I saw nothing out-of-the-ordinary._

_Eventually the man smiled at us again, bowed, gathered up his equipment, and vanished into the crowd. Jasper relaxed minutely, allowing me to rest my head on his chest as we danced. It was like my vision, except so much better in person. He and I moved as one person, perfectly in step with each other and the music. We created our own little world in that crowded room, and I loved it. I wanted a thousand more moments like these -- simple, perfect, beautiful moments._

_It was one of the best nights in our lives, and it was commemorated by an envelope in the mailbox of the teeny apartment we'd rented. It held a picture of Jasper and me while we were dancing, my head on his chest, him staring down at the top of my head with a soft smile on his lips._

It wasn't until nearly sixty years later that I found out the name of the vampire who had given us the tickets, then taken our picture -- James. He had rediscovered me in New York after losing me in Mississippi when I was turned into a vampire.

Jasper dropped down next to me again, a brief flicker going through his eyes when he saw the picture. "James," he said simply.

"Yes," I said. "He did horrible things, and we can't know his true motive behind what he did that night. But -- I've chosen to see it in a good light. After all, he opened the door for us to have a beautiful night together."

His arms slipped around me again, and after closing the album, I leaned against his chest and sighed contentedly.

It was moments like these I lived for, whether they were brought about by my greatest friends or worst enemies. Together, Jasper and I were indestructible, and we always would be.

_~End Chapter 5~_

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_**Thanks to all my lovely reviewers for the last chapter: **_**drasticbarbie, LisaCA, Wilka, bookworm19065, SmileyRi**_**, and **_**Amber!**_** I appreciate all your reviews so much, thanks again!**_


	6. Sparkle

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Part 6/?

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out -- my muse decided to be fickle for a while, and I admit I was fighting it because I wanted to save this chapter for later, but I _finally_ realized that it works best here. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and have a safe, great, Happy New Year!

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**-Chapter 6-**

_~Sparkle~_

_Me and Jasper somewhere in Connecticut, January 18, 1954_

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"See you all later!"

I looked up, smiling as my niece tore out the front door happily, her werewolf right behind her. She loved being able to go out in the sun, even though it kept the rest of us indoors. Her enthusiasm was infectious -- or perhaps that was Jasper, who gazed after Nessie with a grin on his face, caught up in her enthusiasm.

Leaning over, I gently buried my fingers in his blond hair. "Maybe we should go out, too. It's been a long time since we've enjoyed the sun, just the two of us." Raising my eyebrows slightly, I smiled winningly at him.

Leaning his head back against my knees, he smiled back and shrugged. "Sure. Where do you want to go?"

I clapped, then reached for our album with one hand as I reached for his hand with the other. "We'll find somewhere!"

We told Carlisle and Esme, the only two left in the house, of our plans, then left. In silent agreement, we ran through the woods in an ever-northward direction, waiting to find the perfect place that would draw from our memories, while at the same time help us develop new ones.

As we ran, I allowed my mind to wander back to Jasper's and my album. From the tenor of his emotions, Jasper was doing the same…

_A fresh blanket of white covered the ground as Jasper and I wandered through the woods. We had forever, after all, so there was no need for us to hurry._

_Something had been nagging at the back of my mind for a while, begging to be asked. I had even Seen myself asking Jasper a few times, but I'd always chickened out at the last minute. This time, before I could do so again, I came out and asked him. "Will you teach me how to fight?"_

_Jasper stopped abruptly, eyes darkening as he stared at me. It was the first time I'd seen his expression go black, dangerous; the first time I'd had a taste in person of what his life had been like before I'd met him. Seeing it in a vision and seeing it in person were two _entirely_ different things._

"_Why would you want to learn something like _that_?" he asked. His voice was sharp and stinging, like a whip._

_I could never remember feeling nervous, at least not around Jasper, but now I was. He didn't _scare_ me, and I was sure he never would. But he did intimidate me, just a little. "Not everyone out there is as friendly as we are," I pointed out. "We're bound to meet some unfriendly vampires in our time. I'd like to know how to protect myself." _And you._ I didn't dare say the last, afraid he'd think I was insinuating that he couldn't take care of himself._

_Hurt flashed through him and into me. "You don't think I can take care of you?" he asked quietly._

"_That's not it at all!" I cried. "As much as I hope we'll never leave each other, I know there might be times when we separate for some reason or another, and I don't know what to do if someone attacks me. You do."_

_Jasper turned away from me for a moment, staring into the distance with unfocused eyes. For the first time I could remember, I wished I could read his mind instead of his future actions. I had little doubt that he was revisiting his past in those few stone-silent moments. Only a moment after I Saw Jasper teaching me in a snow-filled clearing, he said, "All right. I'll show you a few things."_

_I allowed him to take my hand and lead me along. Smiling encouragingly at him, I followed, not daring to say something for fear of his changing his mind. He'd told me a few things about his past, but only little things. I knew he was keeping the most violent, dangerous parts to himself. I wondered if he'd ever tell me his entire story._

_A few minutes later we stood in the center of the clearing I'd Seen. Jasper positioned me directly in the center, then paced slowly back and forth a few feet away. "The most _important_ thing to learn when fighting is to follow your -- _baser_ instincts," he said, somewhat hesitantly. His eyes cut quickly in my direction, to see if I understood the hidden meaning behind his words._

_Nodding encouragingly, I made sure my expression was eager but not _too_ eager._

"_If you give yourself over to your more animalistic instincts, you might be surprised how much comes to you naturally," he said. A ghostly smile hinted at his lips. "This will probably come even _easier _to you since you're psychic," he said. "Perhaps you can't directly pick my moves out of my head, but you can See what I'm going to do before I do it. I'll only have to teach you a few moves." There was signs of relief in his eyes when he said that._

_I swallowed back my disappointment, surprised at how fierce it was. I'd gone into it believing what I'd said, but then I realized that I also wanted to do this because I wanted desperate to understand, to somehow connect with, Jasper's past. Perhaps someday I'd tell him that, when he knew me better._

"_All right," he said, drawing in a deep breath. With narrow eyes he studied me, top to bottom, as if trying to figure out how to best utilize my strengths and weaknesses._

"_I'm stronger than I look," I supplied helpfully._

_This time his smile was bigger, and stayed on his face longer. "I know," he said. "Oh, believe me, I know _that_. I'm just trying to figure out how you can best use your size to your advantage. Since you're so small, it will be easy for you to slip away from your attacker--"_

"_I thought you were going to teach me how to defend myself!" I said, aghast._

"_Sometimes flight is a better choice," Jasper said darkly. "Believe me."_

_I watched him quietly, waiting for him to explain that remark or let it pass. I didn't want to push him._

"_I'll come at you slowly at first. When I do, duck and spin, all right? You'll go directly under my arm and around behind me." Jasper shifted into a crouch, his lips slightly drawn back from his teeth._

_Standing silent and still in the middle of the clearing, I watched as Jasper lunged for me. Even though he was going slowly for him, I knew, he was moving faster than I'd expected._

_The answer to my question was there before my mind could even ask it. I dropped into a deep crouch, spinning aside in the snow as Jasper overshot me. Allowing myself to get caught up in the moment, I used my momentum and the position of my legs as a spring to launch myself onto his back._

_Jasper had obviously not been expecting me to catch on that quickly. He reeled slightly, falling forward onto his face in the snow, me perched on his back like a bird._

"_Ha!" I cried triumphantly, leaping off his back so I could roll him over. I grinned down into his startled face._

"_How did you _know_ to do that?" he asked breathlessly._

_I shrugged. "I did like you told me, gave in to my baser instincts. It seemed like a good move…" I stopped, suddenly unsure of myself._

_Reaching up, Jasper grasped my shoulder and pulled me down so I was lying in the snow next to him. I let out a squawk of disapproval and surprise, a complaint about my clothes immediately rising to my lips. But the smile on Jasper's face -- so innocent and loving, innocent and trusting, made me stop. His entire front was white with snow, flakes even clinging to his eyelashes. His hair looked white instead of honey blond._

_I blinked a few times, surprised at the strength of the emotions welling up inside me. Jasper and I had kissed before, but we'd never said those three little words to each other. Even if I didn't know for sure, I had a strong inkling that he felt the same way toward me as I did toward him. But I had no guarantee that his feelings were as strong as mine._

_But at that moment, that didn't even matter to me. Instead, I flung myself at him, flopping across his chest as my arms wound around his neck. "I love you!" I declared steadily, planting a determined kiss on his lips, which were parted in surprise._

_At that moment, the sun appeared from behind the clouds. The ice in the trees sparkled, the snow all around us sparkled, and Jasper's and my skin sparkled. Jasper smiled widely up at me, reached out the few feet to where my camera case rested atop my suitcase, then tugged me close to his side and held up the camera so it pointed directly toward us. "I love you too," he whispered just before the flash went off._

Jazz and I had been through a lot since that day. He'd opened up more to me about his past, he'd taught me more about how to defend myself, we'd fallen deeper in love every day and cemented it with the single wedding we'd ever had or would have. But at that moment, as we once more lay side-by-side in the snow, staring up into the crisp blue sky, I was thankful that despite how much we had changed, our togetherness hadn't, and wouldn't.

As I leaned over to press a kiss to Jasper's jaw, his hand slipped into the pocket of my coat and withdrew the small digital camera I'd put there earlier. Just as my lips met his skin, he captured the picture on film, our hearts, our minds, and for our album.

And the peace and happiness I felt radiating from him was like never before. _This_ is what we lived for, together.

~End Chapter 6~

_**Huge thanks goes out to my reviewers for the last chapter: **_**SmileyRi, drasticbarbie, bookworm19065, Eri 'n' Ali, sockmonkeyninja, **_**and**_** fantasyfreak12 **_**for all your lovely reviews!**_


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